… Records major drug seizures across eight states, FCT

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, as well as 6,000kg of cannabis, in a series of operations across eight states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The agency said the seizures had a combined street value of more than N3.4 billion.

The operations were conducted in Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe and Imo states, as well as the FCT.

The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the various commands for what he described as professionalism and intelligence-driven operations, urging them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.

A major highlight of the operations was the interception of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 603.75kg and valued at N1.811 billion.

The operation also led to the arrest of a 49-year-old suspected drug trafficker, Innocent Ekpe, who allegedly impersonated a senior police officer to evade scrutiny at checkpoints while transporting illicit drugs across state lines.

Ekpe was arrested on Wednesday, September 16, along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba, Delta State, with 292.48kg of skunk concealed in his silver Toyota Sienna bus.

According to the agency, preliminary investigation revealed that Ekpe allegedly presented himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, using a forged police identification card.

A 39-year-old alleged accomplice, Nduka Joseph, was also arrested.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a location along Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai.

The agency said Ossai allegedly used his auto-repair workshop to store illicit drugs.

Operatives recovered 48kg of Canadian Loud, 152 grammes of methamphetamine and a metal box allegedly used to store the substances.

At the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives placed a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, under surveillance after it arrived on September 12.

A joint physical examination conducted with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Wednesday, September 16, led to the discovery of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 603.75kg.

The consignment was concealed inside 31 black jumbo bags loaded into two Toyota Sienna vehicles in the container.

In Niger State, three suspects — Bashir Usman, 20; Abubakar Nuhu, 18; and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18 — were arrested on Tuesday, September 15, during a patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area.

The suspects were allegedly found with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.

Two other suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested on Friday, September 18, along the Abaji-Abuja Highway.

The agency said more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets were recovered from them.

The substances were allegedly concealed in eight sacks and were being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Onyeka Ofor at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, on Friday, September 18, with 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg.

Seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59kg were also intercepted at a logistics company in the state, leading to the arrest of a suspect identified as Luke Ugokwe.

In another operation in Lagos, 43-year-old Ibrahim Hudu was arrested at Apongbo on Thursday, September 17, with 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas.

In Gombe State, a total of 154,480 capsules of tramadol were recovered from two suspects, Sabi’u Umar, 27, and Hassana Muhammad, 19.

The suspects were arrested at the Barunde area and Gombe Main Market respectively on Friday, September 18.

In Imo State, 25-year-old Ifesinachi Godwin was arrested along the Owerri-Onitsha Road on Friday with 43.85kg of skunk.

Similarly, four suspects — Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday — were arrested during a raid on a two-hectare cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu Forest, Ondo State, on Tuesday, September 15.

The NDLEA said 5,000kg of skunk was destroyed during the operation, while 48kg of dried and fresh cannabis was recovered from the location.

Meanwhile, commands and formations of the agency continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation campaigns across the country during the week.

The activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of St. Ferdinand School, Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Unizik Secondary School, Awka, Anambra State; Scholars Nursery and Primary School, Epe, Lagos State; and Government Technical Training School, Jalingo, Taraba State.

The Delta Ports Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to traditional ruler, King Couple Mackson Oromoni Mobene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Delta State.

The NDLEA said the sensitisation activities were part of its continued efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of illicit drug use and trafficking.

A woman identified as Bilkisu Sani has been arrested in Rogo Local Government Area of Kano State over the alleged killing of her husband, Hafisu Gausu, amid reported plans by the deceased to marry another woman.

According to reports, the incident occurred around 7pm on Friday, September 18, 2026, in the Katsalle area of Rogo town.

A resident, Auwal Kazagi Rogo, said residents rushed to the scene after hearing cries from Bilkisu, who reportedly claimed that her husband had been kidnapped and killed.

Kazagi said residents who arrived at the scene found Gausu with an injury to his head. He explained that contrary to the initial claim that the deceased had been slaughtered, residents allegedly found that he had been struck with an object.

He said the police were immediately contacted and subsequently evacuated the body for investigation.

According to the resident, Gausu had reportedly been planning to marry another woman as his second wife, a decision that allegedly led to repeated disagreements between him and Bilkisu.

Kazagi said the woman had allegedly vowed to prevent the marriage, prompting community elders to intervene in an attempt to resolve the dispute. However, tensions reportedly continued.

The police subsequently arrested Bilkisu as the prime suspect, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding Gausu’s death remain ongoing.

The deceased was buried on Saturday morning in Rogo in accordance with Islamic rites.

Reports indicate that Gausu and Bilkisu had been married for nearly seven years and had two children. Bilkisu is also reportedly pregnant for the deceased.

Sources in the community further claimed that Gausu had asked his prospective bride’s family to bring forward the wedding date by two months because of the reported disagreement with his wife.

The police have yet to conclude their investigation into the incident, and the allegations against Bilkisu remain subject to the outcome of the investigation and any subsequent court proceedings.

…says more reductions in transport fares to begin October 1

…doubles down on petrol subsidy removal

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Nigerians are already benefiting from reduced transportation costs in states that have adopted compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric-powered public transport systems.

The President, in a statement issued on Saturday, said more Nigerians should begin to experience measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1 under the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme.

Tinubu said the initiative followed a meeting with the governors of the 36 states on August 27, where they agreed on the objective of reducing transportation costs.

He said an implementation committee had subsequently been established under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, chaired by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

According to him, the committee, PI-CNG & EV, state governments and other stakeholders were already working to identify priority transport corridors, determine appropriate interventions and put the necessary arrangements in place.

The President said the work had become more urgent amid the current global energy crisis, adding that developments across the country had shown what was possible when cheaper energy translated into lower transportation costs.

“In Borno, CNG-powered and electric public transport services are moving commuters for between ₦50 and ₦100 on routes where commercial operators charge between ₦300 and ₦600,” he said.

Tinubu stated that 100 CNG-powered buses in Kaduna were providing free transportation on major routes across the state and had carried about 3.2 million passengers in their first year, saving commuters more than ₦3.5 billion in transport costs.

He also cited the deployment of CNG buses to Pacesetter Transport in Oyo, where the Lagos–Ibadan fare was reduced from about ₦8,000 to ₦3,200 during the initial deployment.

In Adamawa, he said alternative-energy transit services had reduced fares by as much as 50 per cent, from ₦8,000 to ₦4,000.

Tinubu added that 100 CNG buses deployed in Enugu had reduced the Enugu–Nsukka fare from ₦2,500 to ₦1,500, while government-supported buses in Plateau were carrying about 13,000 commuters daily at ₦200, compared with more than ₦500 charged by commercial operators.

He said passengers using CNG-converted commercial vehicles on several Abuja commuter routes were also receiving a 40 per cent fare reduction through the Federal Government’s partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

According to him, the Area 1–Gwagwalada fare had dropped from ₦1,500 to ₦900, Nyanya from ₦700 to ₦420, and Wuse from ₦400 to ₦240.

The President said passengers on the Suleja–Abuja route in Niger State were paying ₦550, compared with about ₦800 previously, while Abia State had deployed 40 electric buses with fares subsidised by 50 per cent.

“These are not projections. Nigerians are already experiencing these savings,” Tinubu said.

He commended governors and state governments that had moved quickly to implement cheaper-energy transport initiatives, but urged them to do more.

Tinubu said disruptions to global energy supplies were putting pressure on petrol and diesel prices and increasing transportation costs worldwide.

He said Nigeria could not control developments in global energy markets but could reduce its exposure as a gas-rich country.

“That is what we have been doing,” he said.

According to the President, his administration had over the past three years invested in building a CNG transportation ecosystem across the country.

He said more than 120,000 vehicles had been converted, while the country now had more than 400 certified conversion centres and over 90 CNG refuelling stations.

Tinubu said the government would not return to what he described as the “ruinous petrol subsidy regime,” which he said consumed trillions of naira and exposed the economy to movements in international oil prices.

He urged states to accelerate the development of cheaper alternatives and ensure that the savings from lower energy costs were reflected in transport fares paid by citizens.

The President noted that Edo State already had 50 CNG buses in active service, while Kano had converted more than 1,000 commercial vehicles and was expanding its conversion and refuelling network.

He added that Delta, Kwara and Lagos were expanding CNG-supported transport services, while Akwa Ibom had taken delivery of 50 CNG buses ahead of commercial operations.

Tinubu urged all states to sustain the momentum ahead of October 1 by working with transport unions and commercial operators, supporting vehicle conversion and fleet deployment and facilitating the infrastructure required.

“The Federal Government will continue to support the scaling of CNG infrastructure and access, expand conversion capacity, and create the enabling environment for states, transport operators, manufacturers and private investors to participate,” he said.

“Now we must move faster and scale this so more Nigerians feel those savings in the fares they pay every day,” the President added.